Advantages of the Scientific Method

One advantage of the Scientific method is that it’s replicable. Scientists record their methods and standardise them carefully so as the same procedures can be followed in the future. Investigations are carried out in highly controlled, objective laboratory and repeated to gain further reliability. This is an advantage because repeated a study is the most important way to demonstrate the validity of an experiment. If the results of the repeated experiment are the same, then this affirms the truth of the original results. An example of replication being used in a study is Milgrams. An issue with Milgrams study was its ecological validity. His 1963 experiment was repeated numerous times. One of these replications was Sheridon and King; where they tested obedience on the puppies. Though this was only a replication of the method, not of the participants. Another example is Burger who replicated Milgrams findings in 2009, but he took into account the ethical issues and did not allow participants to shock beyond 150 volts. His replication demonstrates time validity, and both these replications support the validity of Milgrams study, and suggests it does have ecological validly as they produced similar results each time.

Another advantage of the scientific method is that it’s empirical. Empirical data is gained through direct observation or experiment rather than by reasoned argument or unfounded beliefs; as the scientific aims to collect facts. This is an advantage because people can make claims about the truth of a theory, or the benefits of a treatment, but the only way we know such things are true is through empirical evidence. So you may think you know something, but unless you test this empirically you can’t know if it is true or not. For example, if someone claims that a new drug reduces anxiety, then we do an experiment to test the drug to see if it actually does reduce anxiety.

The scientific method being objective is an important aspect of empirical...